Page 3

Chapter Three

Summerville Kara

K ara walks up the front steps of the house Lex told her about, and she's both impressed and annoyed that Lex stumbled upon what she's spent months trying to do. She's been making herself sick doing whatever's needed to get Ian to trust her. He doesn’t trust much, likely because the President, Ryan, doesn’t either, but she just needs him to trust her enough to give her more access to get information on Dani. He knows she comes from the Hellraisers, and he doesn't feel she's trustworthy yet.

Chance didn't believe her eight months ago when she swore she saw Dani in a different house, and she left. She was told good old ladies do what it takes for the club, and this is as much for Dax as it is for Kara. Plus, she can't just let one of her best friends stay imprisoned by an enemy. There was no other way, and she had to go. She'd wanted to tell Dax, but Chance forbade her to. Yelled at her for it, and she just prays Dani's still here to end both of their torture.

She walks inside like she owns the place, and she counts ten men. Her low-cut top and short shorts at least make them relax instead of trying to attack her like they originally responded. That’s something she’s learned about the Kingsmen. They’re always on the defense.

“What are you doing here?” a man she's come to know as Thumper asks.

Her heart races, but she keeps her face as cool as possible. “Ian's looking for Nails and told me to come here,” she says, pulling up the name of a club whore she knows isn't anywhere near the house.

Thumper smirks; his missing teeth from years of drug use make her want to dry heave. “He planning a threesome for you?”

The fact Kara's had to degrade herself to sleeping with women as well as Ian makes her stomach lurch. “I'm not sure. I just do as I'm told.”

“That's a good girl. A real good girl,” one she thinks is named Jake says. “I might ask him if I can have a stab at you.”

“He'll probably let you,” she says, and there's no lie behind the words. Ian has had her service at least four other men in the club as a sign of devotion to the Kingsmen, and it took her a week to stop throwing up afterwards.

Please be in the house, Dani. I need this to end as much as you do.

“Is Nails here?”

Thumper shakes his head. “Sorry, babe.”

“Any idea where she might be? I'd like to avoid going to every house he said she might be at.”

Jake shakes his head as he looks to the rest of the men. They all make similar motions.

“Thanks.”

Walking outside and down the street, she cuts through a yard and circles back to crouch as she shuffles into the backyard. If Lex saw Dani, she's got to be in the basement window facing the street, and Kara hurries along the house, her back pressed against it to keep her out of sight.

Pausing for a moment, she waits to see if anyone heard her. If anyone will come out looking for her. When nothing happens, she breathes a sigh of relief and looks for any sign of cameras. Not all of their houses have them, but some do.

“If they have ten men inside, they likely don’t have cameras here. They’re here for the protection of Dani,” Kara whispers to herself.

Crouching down, she walks as best she can until she makes it to look in the window of the dirty basement room. None of the houses the Kingsmen own seem to have finished basements, and most are dirt floors. She holds in a gasp when she scans the room and lands on Dani sitting on the floor, her arms shackled to the wall by large metal chains.

Heart racing, she runs away, ducking out of sight of the windows, and down the street to the park. She pulls out her phone, trying to catch her breath from the shock of finally finding Dani mixed with the sprint she just ran. “Come on, come on.”

“Yeah?”

“She's there. There were about ten men that I could see inside. I couldn’t get farther into the house to see if there were more.”

“And the basement?”

Tears spring to Kara's eyes at the sickly woman who used to be such a vivacious woman fills her mind. She hadn't even looked at Kara when she peered in. “Yes. Shackled to the wall with large chains. It was hard to see, but I think there were padlocks on them.”

“Thanks for risking that.”

“Lex?”

“Yeah?”

Her lip quivers, and she lets out a shaky breath. “You're going to save her, right?”

“Not me, personally. I'm over that hero shit, but it ends now.”

“I did this for her. You were right, and I don't have to do this anymore. Oh, God, I'm free.”

“I understand. Are you somewhere safe?”

Kara looks around. “I'm down the street at the park.”

“Get as far away as possible. If shit goes down, they're going to realize you were there. Even if you think you were smart, and those guys die, there's always something. I don't know how, but it never fails.”

“Call me when you know she's out. Please?”

“I will.”

Hanging up, she hurries to her rented apartment. Inside holds nothing besides a bag of clothes she needs to keep, and she shoves the bag in the backseat of her car before driving towards a motel in the next town. She may not have a home to go back to, but at least she can be done with the disgusting Kingsmen.

Summerville Lex

W alking back inside the clubhouse, everyone stays silent as they look at Lex. Her heart races, and she feels like she might pass out. She's never been able to give such good yet such terrible news to anyone before, and she feels like the world keeps tilting on its axis.

Colt grabs her hand, worry on his face. “Baby, what's wrong? What's going on?”

“I need to talk to Dax,” she says, her voice weak.

“Yeah? About what?” Dax says. “You're acting like some type of spy. Who are we killing? An old boyfriend or something?”

Swallowing, she squares her shoulders. “Five-eighty-seven Timbercreek Circle. There are at least ten men in the house, all armed, and you'll need bolt cutters. You need to get to the basement.”

“What's there?”

“The one thing you want most in this world.”

His eyes narrow at her. “I don't know what you think I want...”

“The story of Dani's death never made sense. I'm not sure why no one else put the pieces together, and I don't know why the Kingsmen have her, but she's not dead, Dax.”

Venom gasps beside her. “Lex, you're sure?”

“No,” Dax says, turning away. “No, we buried her charred remains.”

“I saw her.”

“You don't know her!” he shouts, whipping around to face her.

She shakes her head. “I'm not the only one. Hannah and Sutton saw her, too. And that's why Kara left. The person I just talked to was Kara. She infiltrated the Kingsmen in order to find Dani. She saw her, too, but by the time she got to that house, they'd moved her. If you don't move soon, they're going to do it again, and who knows how long it’ll take until we find her. If we find her.”

“Kara?” Chance asks with a laugh. “My bitch ex-girlfriend, who's a fucking traitor? You can't believe a word that bitch says.”

“You told her she was crazy, didn't you? When she saw Dani, you told her it was all in her head. That you didn't believe her,” Lex snaps at him. “She did what she thought she had to because the person who should have been there for her turned his back.”

“Dani's fucking dead!”

Pulling up her phone, she selects the picture she took of Dani in the window. “Then who the fuck is this?”

Dax takes the phone from her and gasps. His body shakes, and he whips to look at Chance. “You... you knew she was alive and didn't tell me?”

“Dax, Kara thought-”

“This is my fucking wife!” he shouts and shoves the phone in Chance’s face so quickly it almost hits his nose.

The man's eyes widen, and he shakes his head. “I thought she saw... I didn't think it was real. Dani's dead... We all thought-”

Dax's fist cuts him off as he knocks him to the ground, blood dripping down his chin from a split lip. “You knew my wife was alive over six months ago, and you didn't say anything? Fuck you! Fuck you, Chance!”

Undertaker steps up. “We fucking ride.”

“Kara said there were at least ten men inside when she walked in. Dani's in the basement, shackled with large chains. She couldn't see in the dark that well, but she thinks there are padlocks holding her in place. I don't really understand why they'd take her, or why they would fake her death, but that doesn't matter. Kill them, and bring her back,” Lex says. “I told Kara to get the hell out of there, but if you don't get your asses moving soon, you're going to lose Dani. Again.”